Skyla Taylor Investigation

Skyla/Taylor Investigation

Murdered In Oklahoma

Skyla Whitaker and Taylor Paschal-Placker Murdered

So far, $30,000 has be accumulated for the information leading to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the murder of Skyla Whitaker and Taylor Paschal-Placker, whose bodies were found, by Taylor's grandfather. They were killed by multiple gun shot wounds.

"I can't describe coming up on it," Peter Placker said, sobbing uncontrollably, as he tried to remember walking up on the scene, only about one-quarter mile from his house. "I done it once and I can't do it again."

The best friends were having a sleep-over at Taylor's house when they decided to go for a walk on the county road south of Interstate 40 near Weleetka, Oklahoma. This was common place as they lived in a rural community, where things should be safe.

Okfuskee County Sheriff Jack Choate told the paper that they have a suspect in the case, but no motive.

"They were little girls," Choate told the paper. "What possible motive could there be? You have to wonder, did they see something they were not supposed to? Were they at the wrong place at the wrong time?"

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Inspector Stan Florence said it was unknown if they were molested.

Funeral services for the two girls are set for Friday. Services for Taylor are 10 a.m. Friday at Dewar First Baptist Church. Services for Skyla are 2 p.m. at the First Baptist Church in Henryetta.

HOW TO HELP:

This money goes to the families...

Donations are being accepted for both families under separate accounts at the Bank of Commerce in Weleetka.

Donations can be made to the Skyla Whitaker Memorial Fund or the Taylor Paschal-Placker Memorial Fund and sent to the

Bank of Commerce, P.O. Box 48, Weleetka, OK 74880.

For more information call (405) 786-2216.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080610_12_TheOk63032

www.cnn.com

http://newsok.com/investigators-screening-computers-searching-for-classmates/article/3255944/?tm=1213212643

UPDATES

To comment on this story click here!

09/07/08

Grand Jury Adjourns

Oklahoma's multi-county grand jury adjourned Thursday after hearing testimony from five witnesses.

Two of the witnesses failed to show up last Wednesday and the judge ordered their arrests. They were brought into court the following day to testify.

Despite the testimony of the five Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown says there has been no breakthrough in the unsolved case.

Brown said agents have questioned more than 100 people in the case and that more are being interviewed.

But "we don't have any suspects," she said Thursday.

Because of confidentiality rules, Brown would not comment on the grand jury's probe.

Read resource details...

http://www.kfsm.com/Global/story.asp?S=8959544

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080905_12_A11_hButth653299

09/04/08

Three suspects testify at Grand Jury

Three men who have come under suspicion in the fatal shootings of Taylor Placker and Skyla Whitaker testified Wednesday before a state grand jury.

Two other witnesses will be arrested for failure to appear.

"I just wish they would catch whoever done it so they would leave me alone,” said one witness, Toney Kelough, 30, who must return today to finish testifying. "I've told them the same thing over and over again.”

Investigators also may have some type of DNA evidence in the case.

08/23/08

Guns Checked In Oklahoma Girls Murders

Skyla Whitaker and Taylor Paschal-Placker Update

The murders of the two Oklahoma girls has come up with few leads since the killings last June. However, Oklahoma police have revealed that the make of one of the two weapons used in the killings was a .40-caliber Glock.

It's a "brutal and deliberate" crime that has stymied investigators in this rural area 70 miles south of Tulsa.

"Since we don't have a motive, we just can't look in one direction for a certain person," Jessica Brown, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, told FOXNews.com. "It's wide open."

In a state that doesn't require gun registration, officials have had to canvas local pawn shops to check sales records for Glocks. Authorities said they sent out about 60 letters to gun owners and tested the weapons of about 40 last weekend. But they still need to test more.

Brown said those weapons were taken by investigators and test-fired, and the results of those tests now are being evaluated. She said nearly half a dozen former gun owners contacted authorities to identify new owners, and another 15 gun owners did not show up.

Those who participated in a forum on the newspaper website expressed sympathy for the victims and their families, but worried about the maneuver of inspecting privately owned guns without a search warrant or probable cause.

"This is a really sad story. My heart goes out to the families involved," said one participant. "For some reason, though, it bothers me that 60 gun owners were asked to 'voluntarily' relinquish their legally-owned firearms."

Resource details...

http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=72906

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,408781,00.html

http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=72906

08/12/08

Autopsy results

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown said the autopsy results speak to the brutal mindset of the killer.

"It tells the public the brutality, the determination of the killer or killers, by shooting the 11-year-old eight times and Taylor five times,” Brown said.

Medical examiners found no evidence of sexual trauma to either girl.

In all, reports show the girls were shot 13 times, but only one shot left powder burns, according to the report.

Resource...

http://www.newsok.com/article/3281166

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080809_11_A1_spancl275905

07/22/08

911 tape

Skyla Whitaker and Taylor Paschal-Placker Update

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman, Jessica Brown, appealed for the public's help after playing this recording at a news conference.

Resources...

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/07/21/oklahoma.girls/?iref=mpstoryview#cnnSTCVideo

http://www.koco.com/video/16946343/index.html (full conference link)

http://www.thestate.com/361/story/466874.html?RSS=untracked No longer available

06/26/08

Latest on Muder Case

New Update for Skyla Whitaker and Taylor Paschal-Placker

An ATF dog was brought in on Wednesday to examine the area where Skyla Whitaker and Taylor Paschal-Placker were murdered.

The dog is qualified in sniffing for bullet casings, gun powder, and explosives.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown says the dog is normally assigned to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives but her handler offered assistance in the weeks-old investigation after returning from out of town.

Nothing new was found.

Go to this link at KOCO 5 for video update...

http://www.koco.com/video/16712100/index.html

Also these articles...

http://www.kten.com/Global/story.asp?S=8556169

http://www.kjrh.com/content/news/2viewgc/story.aspx?content_id=4bb8b98e-6597-4b3e-967b-111338cedc86

06/16/08

Police Gather Shell Casings

Skyla Jade Whitaker and Taylor Paschal-Placker of Oklahoma

Police gathered shell casings that were found near the crime scene, that are believed to be related to the murders of Skyla and Taylor.

Authorities want the public to keep an eye out for a man looking like the sketch, as he may have traveled somewhere else in the US. Officials have said they want to speak with the man.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Jessica Brown says investigators have pursued at least 30 tips that came in about the drawing.

The OSBI, the Okfuskee County Sheriff’s Office and other officers continue to conduct interviews and follow leads in the case.

Also, donations are being accepted for both families under separate accounts at the Bank of Commerce in Weleetka. Donations can be made to the Skyla Whitaker Memorial Fund or the Taylor Paschal-Placker Memorial Fund and sent to the Bank of Commerce, P.O. Box 48, Weleetka, OK 74880. For more information, call (405) 786-2216.

Resource...

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080616_1__OKEMA47218

http://www.kswo.com/Global/story.asp?S=8497826

06/14/08

Scretch Released in Oklahoma Slayings

Friday authorities release a sketch investigators are calling a "Person of Interest". They want to interview the individual about the slayings of the two girls found dead along an eastern Oklahoma country road.

The man was seen standing near a white pickup truck and looking suspicious about the time and place of the murders said Jessica Brown, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma Stat Bureau of Investigation.

The individual is describes as 6 feet tall with black hair, worn in a pony tail and possibly American Indian. He was driving a white Chevy or Ford pickup with chrome stripping and Oklahoma license tags.

Jessica said "We just want to talk to him, We think he might have seen something." "He was stopped on the road, standing outside of his pickup truck doing something. It looked a little suspicious"

Several witnesses have come forward, saying they saw the man as they drove down the road where the girls where found and others saying they heard gunshots.

Several motives have been explored, including a random thrill killing, attempted abduction, a case of mistaken identity and the possibility that the girls happened upon a crime in progress.

Resource details...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20080613/girls-killed/

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/06/13/okla.girls.shootings/

06/13/08

Two Guns Used To Kill Girls

Possible witness in Taylor Paschal-Placker/ Skyla Whitaker case

Two separate guns were used to shoot the two young girls in Weleetka, Oklahoma last Sunday. Authorities don't know, yet, if this means there were two shooters, or not, as one person could have been holding both guns, but and an OSBI agent said he believes they're looking for multiple gunmen.

They further report that there is no suspect, or suspects at this time.

They have returned to the crime scene to look at further possible evidence. Investigators have blocked off the dirt road this afternoon.

Agents could be seen using global positioning devices, possibly to map the area where Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, and Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, were found shot to death in a ditch along a dirt road less than a mile from Taylor's home Sunday evening. They had gunshot wounds to the head and chest, according to the State Medical Examiner's Office.

Investigators will not know whether the girls were sexually assaulted until autopsies are completed.

Investigators talked with a witness who said he saw two girls moments before they were killed along a county road in east-central Oklahoma, a state agent said.

Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation lead agent Ben Rosser said they tested the witness' story and believe him to be credible, KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City reported. At a Thursday news conference, Rosser said that the witness offered no names of people he might have seen in the area moments before Taylor Dawn Paschal-Placker, 13, of Weleetka, and Skyla Jade Whitaker, 11, of Henryetta, were shot to death.

Rosser added that he would rather not say whether the witness offered descriptions of people in the area.

The reward money is now up to $25,000.

Resource details....

http://www.nbc5.com/news/16590909/detail.html

http://www.koco.com/news/16547383/detail.html

http://newsok.com/area-near-weleetka-where-slain-girls-were-found-searched-again/article/3256493/?tm=1213292384

Video update... Thursday

http://www.koco.com/video/16589169/index.html

06/17/08

Mentally ill man arrested

Skyla Jade Whitaker and Taylor Paschal-Placker of Oklahoma

A man armed with a shotgun at, Weleetka High School, was arrested, today. He claimed to be involved in the murder of Skyla Whitaker and Taylor Paschal-Placker.

After an interview with investigators they determined that he was mentally ill. They say his arrest is not related to last week's double homicide.

Deputies say a family called 911 after hearing someone sneaking around the home. Someone even says they saw a shadow outside. Deputies did not find anyone, but say they might have gotten away before they arrived.

Resources...

http://www.fox23.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=b777db52-d923-42f6-bc6f-8b25f149eda6

http://www.kswo.com/Global/story.asp?S=8512735

More reading...

http://newsok.com/town-tries-to-find-normalcy/article/3258373/

Dustyn Dailey, 18, testified for about two hours Wednesday. He was taken before the grand jury in shackles and wearing jail clothes with black and gray stripes.

He is jailed in Okmulgee County on a second-degree burglary charge. He is accused of breaking into a home Aug. 1.

Some of his relatives have a protective order against him after saying he said last April, "I'm going to burn your house down and ya'll will have nowhere to live” and "I am going to kill you.”

Dailey, who's nickname is "Spud", would not comment on the case.

Mike Gaddy testified for about an hour. Mike's parents say he has an alibi and heard the shootings, but did not witness the shootings.

They also said they fear vigilantes seeking justice might hurt him because he has come under suspicion.

"They've already chased him with guns,” David Gaddy said. "Until they catch who really did this, Mike is in danger.”

The father said his son was at a friend's house at the time of the shooting. The father said his son, along with the friend and the friend's family, then went to Walmart. He said agents have pulled Walmart surveillance videotapes to try to verify the story.

The father also said OSBI agents have been harassing his son, who he says is mentally challenged.

The parents said they have noticed undercover officers in an AT&T van taking photos of them. They said they believe their phone has been tapped due to an unmistakable clicking sound.

They said their son does not associate with Dailey any more.

Toney Kelough testified that he was with his girlfriend the day the girls were murdered. He had only seen them the day before when they were playing in the yard.

"I've told them 100 times I had nothing to do with it, but they said I done it,” he said.

The casino maintenance employee said he came under suspicion because of some red stains on his shirt and pants. He said he told officers the stains were from wood stain and that he showed them his woodworking project.

He said he would take a DNA test as he has nothing to hide.

Read full resource details....

http://newsok.com/weleetka-witnesses-face-grand-jury/article/3292812?pg=1

http://www.kfsm.com/Global/story.asp?S=8949449

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=20080904_298_OKLA803771